Giant hummingbirds: Running a little hot, but not on empty
Monday, May 2, 2011 - 16:30
in Biology & Nature
Scientists have long thought that the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) was just about as big as a hummingbird could get. They're nearly twice the size of the next largest species, and it was assumed that the energy needed for hovering flight would take the giants close to the upper metabolic limits for an animal that size. Not so, according to a new study.